The Effendal
= The Effendal = Known Information, by Human Scholars The High Born, also known as the Effendal, or called ‘Elves’ by many humans, predate recorded history. Some legends link them as the descendants of the great ‘Sidhe,’ a fictitious race among the Fae. The ‘Sidhe’ were said to be the Lords of Fae, immortal, and powerful in the ways of magic. A time came when ‘the lords of the between’ left, sailing into the sea crafting the great Mists behind them to prevent anyone from following. This however is widely believed among the academic communities to be a simple, and early, explanation for one of our great unknowns; the Mists. The High Born do exist however, and very little is known about their culture, as the Church has done an exceedingly good job at hunting them down, killing survivors, and destroying any book or artifact that can be linked to one of these so called ‘Abominations.’ The High Born were given the derogatory term ‘Elf’ hundreds of years ago when one of the Effendal was captured and brought before the Amalgamation King Calies IV of the White Chalice in 21r. The court thought the Effendal’s behavior and clothing were so bizarre they forced him to entertain court as a jester for years to come. Though the Effendal could not understand their words, or speak to them in the common tongue, they would poke at him with whatever was available and laugh at the quaint way he would yelp or beg for his freedom. The court could not pronounce Effendal, a word he repeated on many occasions, and so they shortened it to the derogatory term ‘Elf’ which has held to this day and carries the connotation of the word ‘Fool’. A High Born who is called such a word, and understands its historical meaning, is sure to take offense. The Effendal exist in a caste system, where one is born into a family that serves a very specific role in that society. Each caste has its own name in their own language, but the nobles are trained to lead, warriors are trained to hunt and protect, the priestly are trained to be wise, etc. Tribal in culture, and isolated from the rest of the world, they tend to be weary of strangers, hostile to humans, and often have forsaken the language common to mankind. This language often varies from tribe to tribe. All High Blooded have extremely heightened senses. Their sense of taste, touch, sight, and hearing is far beyond the human capabilities, which has spawned further curiosity and resentment of this mystical race. From what documentation that does exists, certain aspects of their culture are explained. Distinguished Effendal * Vapaaherra Siili Sininen * Cúron Arandir * Ritari Talgehurst Saunges * Skye'elen * Arundale Kali Rumors Regarding the Effendal * They say that the Effendal can merge with trees, and that they live within mushroom circles. * The Effendal certainly don't like humans. Is it considered cannibalism if one of them eats one of us? * They call them 'headhunters.' Effendal sworn to seek out and kill humans. They say that these hunters collect the heads of dead humans so that their enemy will walk forever blinded in the world beyond. * Their kind used to steal human children from their beds at night, and they fight in the dead of night using traps and poisons. * The Effendal are more like wolves, or like a spider. You can see that it wants to eat you, but by the time you realize its about to strike, its too late!